Dreams of greatness

I asked Kid Two – the boy – if he wanted to try out for a competitive travel baseball program. Truth be told, I was hoping he would say no.
He loves all things sports-related, and we do our best to encourage him to play. He’s a naturally well coordinated kid, and does well in most sports where size is not a huge advantage. Huge he’s not.
But I think 9 is a little young to make a year-round (or almost year-round) commitment to a sport, and that’s what this would have been. Fall league games and practices. Winter indoor instruction. Spring and summer leagues and practices.
And, from Kid Two’s perspective, there probably wouldn’t be time for hockey.
Hockey at any level also requires a commitment; after all, hockey skills such as passing, shooting, stealing all have to be done while skating. That means lots of time practicing, and practicing at an ice rink.
But at the level at which Kid Two plays, the commitment is limited by the length of the season. It’s a long season – September to March – but it does come to an end, and it is possible to participate in a recreational baseball league when hockey comes to an end.
Anyway, Kid Two said no to the baseball program for this year. But he wanted to leave his options open. Maybe next year, he said, if he has a bad year in hockey and a good summer in baseball. He’s got to make a choice eventually, he said. You can’t grow up and be both a professional hockey player and a professional baseball player.
He’s on the cusp of the age when reality sets in; it won’t be so long before he realizes that very, very few people are professional athletes in any sport.
I’ve watched Kid One start to realize that she will most likely never be a pop star. After all, she’s 12, and Disney hasn’t discovered her yet. She also will never be an Olympic gymnast or figure skater, although I don’t think she seriously ever wanted to be.
As adults, we tell kids they can be whatever they want. Sometimes it comes as a bit of a rude awakening when they realize that they can be whatever they want – within limits. Most important to me is that they are people of integrity, who know that happiness comes not from personal pleasure, but from rich relationships with other people. The rest is icing on the cake.
In the meantime, Frank doesn’t have to decide yet between baseball and hockey. And who knows? If he makes it to professional baseball or hockey, I’ll be there to cheer him on.